Lunchtime at the Chilmark School and the requests were piling up fast and furious.

“Could I have more kale, please?” “Can I have more wheat berry?” “My favorite was the beet chips!”

Beet chips?

It’s true and thanks to the Island Grown Schools’ Chilmark Community Lunch initiative, students could see beet chips replacing generic potato chips more often in the months ahead.

Oak Bluffs Association

Names Holiday Winners

The Oak Bluffs Association (OBA) has named Crossland Nurseries, for the second year in a row, as the best decorated business in Oak Bluffs. Once again, Mark and Bernie Crossland have outdone themselves in creating a magical holiday setting for all of Oak Bluffs. Their business, Crossland Nurseries, is located on Dukes County avenue in Oak Bluffs.

R.A. Seklecki

Matthew Seklecki, son of Catherine MacDonald and Daniel Seklecki of Vineyard Haven, was named a resident assistant for the Office of Student Life at Saint Michael’s College for the 2010-2011 academic year. Seklecki is a senior, political science and history double major at the liberal arts, residential Catholic college located in Burlington, Vt. He graduated from Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School before attending to Saint Michael’s.

Please Adopt Us

T’was the night before Christmas, and all through the Shelter, not a creature was stirring — not even a mouse!

The kitties were all snuggled and warm in their beds

While visions of new homes danced in their heads.

Suddenly, all of the animals awoke with a start and started to talk

You see, at midnight on Christmas Eve, all animals can speak —

And the animals at the Shelter had been waiting all week.

I hate shopping. It is the endless wandering about stores trying to make sensible decisions. It’s why one year I gave hard, cold cash for Christmas.

Come Dasher and Dancer, Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid, and Donner and Blitzen...

Okay, it is time to panic if the reindeer are coming. We know that Santa likes to park them and the sleigh on the roof so he can hop down the chimney to deliver presents to all of the good boys and girls. But I am quite worried that our roof will not be able hold them.

Tis the season for Christmas Bird Counts. Flip Harrington and I have just returned from Georgia where we participated in the St. Catherine’s Island CBC. We had hoped for sunny warm weather, but instead had half a day of grey drizzle and fog with the second half lighter fog. Brad Winn, our section leader, had the area along the south side of the island. Our group was to concentrate on waterfowl on the Atlantic, shorebirds on the beach and sparrows and rails in the marshes. The fog was thicker than pea soup and you could barely see beyond the length of your arm.

JetBlue Airways, the low-cost airline with a reputation for quality customer service, announced on Thursday morning that it will begin daily nonstop service between the Vineyard and New York city this summer. “During the peak days we’ll operate more than one trip a day,” said JetBlue chief executive officer Dave Barger after a press conference held at the Martha’s Vineyard Airport. Air service between the Island and the John F. Kennedy Airport is set to begin on Memorial Day weekend and run at least through Labor Day.

With Christmas just around the corner, I have been thinking cherries.

Dear Heather:

I was thinking about you the other day so I thought I’d write you a quick note.

The first word that always comes to mind when I think of you is feisty! Remember 10 or 15 years ago, the after-work drinks downtown when you were ready to take on the whole bar? Then the next morning at the Morning Glory Farm company meeting you looked pretty worn out.